In the year 2025, game development studios across Europe dramatically increased the amount of money they allocated to external talent, posting a 63 percent rise in expenditures for outsourced roles. This surge outstripped the overall global increase, which stood at 55 percent for the same period, indicating that the European market is moving at a faster pace than the rest of the world when it comes to hiring outside expertise.
The figures come from the newly released study titled "Talent Signals Reshaping the Games Industry," authored by Tanja Loktionova, who is both the founder of Values Value and a co‑founder of InGame Job. Loktionova’s analysis draws on a broad employment survey that captures the experiences of studios, freelancers, and other industry participants throughout Europe and beyond.
One of the most striking data points in the report is the 24 percent growth in the number of freelancers who worked with European studios during the past year. This rise reflects a broader trend toward flexible, project‑based staffing models, where studios tap into a pool of independent professionals for specific phases of development rather than maintaining large, permanent in‑house teams.
At the same time, the average earnings of freelancers worldwide saw a 19 percent increase, underscoring the growing value placed on specialized, contract‑based contributions in the gaming sector. Despite these positive financial signals, the labor market remains challenging. Almost six out of ten studios—approximately 60 percent—reported that they struggled to locate qualified specialists for open positions.
This talent shortage was mirrored on the freelancer side, where 54.1 percent said they faced difficulty finding projects that matched their skill sets and career aspirations. The mismatch between demand and supply suggests that while studios are willing to spend more, they are also encountering a bottleneck in the availability of highly skilled workers. Income stability continues to be a major concern for independent creators.
Even though the average monthly income for freelancers rose by 19 percent on a global scale, a sizable 63 percent of freelancers expressed anxiety about the reliability of their earnings. The fear of fluctuating cash flow is compounded by the fact that 30 percent of respondents to the survey reported having experienced layoffs within the previous twelve months, and the typical time required to secure a new position after a layoff was found to be roughly six months. Job mobility appears to be high among both studio employees and freelancers. Half of those surveyed indicated that they anticipate changing jobs within the next six months, and fewer than half reported feeling satisfied with their current roles.
Professional growth also seems limited: only 26 percent felt they were advancing in their careers, while 36 percent described their situation as stagnant. Moreover, more than half of the respondents—55 percent—had not received any formal training or development opportunities in the past year, highlighting a potential gap in continuous learning and skill enhancement within the industry. Loktionova interpreted these findings as a "structural signal that the industry has matured past its growth‑at‑any‑cost phase and has not yet figured out what replaces it." In other words, the gaming sector is transitioning from a period of rapid expansion driven by sheer volume to a more measured, sustainable model, but the exact shape of that new model remains uncertain. The data also points to an emerging two‑tier team structure within studios.
According to the report, many companies are consolidating around a small core group of senior personnel—directors, lead architects, and other key creatives—who are entrusted with safeguarding the long‑term vision of a franchise. These core members typically receive comprehensive compensation packages that include equity stakes, health benefits, and performance bonuses.
In contrast, the majority of the workforce now occupies peripheral roles: contractors and freelancers who are hired for a particular sprint or development milestone and then released once that phase concludes. This shift creates a clear distinction between a stable, well‑compensated nucleus and a flexible, often temporary outer ring of talent. Another significant concern highlighted in the report is the impact of generative artificial intelligence on the European development community. A notable 61 percent of developers expressed worry that AI tools could increase pressure to accelerate production cycles and deliver larger volumes of content more quickly.
While some view AI as a productivity enhancer, 35 percent of respondents feared that the technology might ultimately displace their jobs or diminish the demand for their specific skill sets. Overall, the 2025 landscape for European game studios reveals a complex picture: rising investment in external talent, growing reliance on freelance expertise, persistent talent shortages, and heightened uncertainty around income stability and the future role of AI. As studios continue to refine their staffing strategies and adapt to technological advances, the industry will likely see further evolution in how creative work is organized, compensated, and sustained over the long term.